


Picking up the pieces

by Strawmari



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Minor Character Death, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:35:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22793344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawmari/pseuds/Strawmari
Summary: The last place Beth expected to run into Rio, was his ex's house.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 12
Kudos: 117





	Picking up the pieces

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a season 3 fic! After my second rewatch, I couldn't stop thinking about Rio building model planes with Marcus, so this happened... it also doubles as a reveal I desperately want to happen, so there's that.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!! :)
> 
> I don't own any characters/show and any similarities to other ffs are coincidental.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way, like everything else Beth hoped the guilt would vanish and she could move on with her life, that wasn't the case. As much as it pained her to acknowledge, Rio and her shared something special, their lives forever intertwined.

She seeked out Rhea.

Befriending his ex wasn't on her to do list, hell, it sounded insane the second she thought of it. Yet she still did it. It started out with a few trips to the park, Jane and Marcus would take turns on the monkey bars, the older kids spending their time on the swing set. Then their conversations soon switched to Marcus's love of soccer and how Danny dreaded going to practice, he didn't like the ball hitting his foot.

Beth wanted to ensure they were taken care of, that Rio dying didn't put a strain on their finances, not that hers was any better. They were late on their mortgage, four months to be exact and even with both of them working, they couldn't keep their heads above water. It didn't matter if she was suffering, she just didn't want them too.

A bribe in the form of brownies was all it took to get Marcus on the team, he made the first string on his own. Beth knew he played little league, she didn't expect him to be an all star soccer player as well. 

Rhea sat beside Beth on the bleachers, it was the second game of the season. Danny was on the bench, preferring to be the backup to the backup. Beth still brought the kids along, packing extra orange slices and juice boxes.

"Uh, by the way, you never told me Coach Freddy was hot".

Freddy was someone Dean used to go to highschool with. He was a six foot blonde, who always wore a blue tracksuit. The PTA moms loved chatting him up after the weekend games, throwing themselves onto the grass for a shred of attention.

"Oh, you think we're watching our kids at those games?".

Rhea chuckled, taking a picture of Marcus, zooming in to make sure he was visible. "His dad's gonna be so proud".

"I thought you said he was gone".

_Of course he's gone, she shot him._

"He'll pop up like he always does, hopefully before the end of the season".

_He won't._

____________________________

Danny quit, which both her and Dean approved of. He hated it and what was it Rio said? _"Yeah, but if he don't like it, he ain't gonna be any good at it"._ For the love of god, could he get out of her head.

Beth ran her hand over her face, squeezing the bridge of her nose, hoping it would clear her mind. If it wasn't the sound of gunshots waking her up, it was his voice, often whispering words of encouragement. _"You got this, come on"._ She didn't have it, how could she murder a federal agent in cold blood, she wasn't a psychopath and that wasn't what she wanted him to teach her.

She was about to open her car door when breaking news came over the radio. There was a shooting at an abandoned warehouse just outside of town, federal officers were involved and five perished. 

Beth knew there was a recent crackdown on the eastside, led by Turner of course, but she always turned off the television when it would go into detail. It was the gang life that turned hers upside down and held her against the wall -- and not in a good way, not in the way Rio had.

_His lips were on her neck, hand between her thighs, holding her close to his body. The moans she couldn't hold back as he crooked his fingers, whispering for her to come for him. "Mm..yeah"._

_He chuckled, feeling her grind against his hand._

Beth fanned her face, feeling heat surge over her body. Rio was dead, she should not be having sexual fantasies, or reliving memories of him. 

Dean knew bits and pieces about what went down, the only part that mattered to him was that Rio was gone. Whenever Beth mentioned his name or referenced 'friend', Dean would call it a trigger and she would apologize over and over. It wasn't like she was saving her apologizes for someone else, Rio would never hear them.

She knocked three times on the door, remembering how guilty she felt the first time she stepped over the threshold. Beth had been there five times since then, usually after soccer games and always for ice cream. The kids had accepted Marcus as one of their own and that wasn't necessarily a good thing, Beth knew how unhealthy all of this was, Annie and Ruby had told her the second they found out.

"Come in, I have Rosè".

"I brought the shin guards and cleats, he can grow into them".

Beth took a seat on the stool closest to the door, it became second nature to find the quickest escape route. It didn't matter if she was in her own house, the movie theater or simply sitting in Fine and Frugal's parking lot, the last thing she wanted was to be trapped.

"How's Marcus doing? Still having trouble sleeping?".

Rhea nodded, taking a sip. "He crawled into my bed again. It's supposed to be his weekend with daddy and well, he's still awol".

_Of course he is, that was Beth's fault._

"Enough about me, did you get those extra hours at work?".

"Yeah, three extra a week".

"Good" she turned around on the stool, shouting in the direction of the living room. "Hey papi, Mrs Boland is here".

Marcus rushed out, drawing in hand, passing it to Beth the second he was near. "I made this for you".

"Thank you. Do you like planes?". She took notice of the aircraft filling the white space. By the looks of it and what little she remembered from a report Kenny did years ago, it was some sort of tanker aircraft. 

Marcus nodded, mentioning he built several model planes with his dad. Beth wouldn't have pictured Rio as a box set guy, yet alone sitting there for hours dabbling with the plastic pieces. She could see Rio tossing the instructions, refusing to be told how to do something. That was who he was, a boss, a calculated man who was always ten steps ahead.

"He's got ten of them, he recently grew out of his dinosaur phase".

The doorbell rang and Rhea got down off the stool, confusion in her brows, it was clear she wasn't expecting anyone else. Beth immediately met the dark, piercing eyes of Rio. 

Her breath caught, her feelings etched on her face. Beth pinched herself under the table, hoping it was a nightmare and she would wake up in her bed safe and sound. While her arm throbbed, Rio stood there emotionless in the doorway.

Rhea noticed their odd behavior, coming to the conclusion that their relationship was more than Beth let on. Beth had been put on the spot when Marcus spilled the beans that he'd seen her before, that he played with Jane and family on at least twelve occasions. She went with the kids bonded over the monkey bars and instead of sitting across the way, Beth sat beside Rio, making sure to never mention him by name. Rhea didn't question it, after all parents talked to each other all the time. 

"Now you show up? You can't keep doing this Rio, he's been asking for you".

"I got tied up, who's this?". His jaw tightened and for the first time in the two years that Beth's known him, fear struck. It was one thing to get him arrested, it was another to put three bullets in his chest.

"My friend, Beth Boland, she said you guys talked at the park before".

"Is that right?".

Beth tried to excuse herself, throwing out every excuse possible, hoping one of them would be convincing enough to get out of this extremely awkward situation. Rio's eyes were glued to her, having roamed over her body on the walk over. 

Rio looked good, not that she'd feed his ego. He had on a black jacket, the collar was popped up slightly and his signature sneakers completed his ensemble. Tears were filling her eyes, but she refused to let a single one fall, not in front of him.

"I'm Beth" she introduced herself, praying he would play along. Beth wouldn't blame him if he told Rhea, it would be humiliating and paint her in a terrible light.

"Hey, mama".

He took two more steps forward, stopping right in front of her, eyes once again roaming her face. Beth hated the way she closed her eyes. For months she thought he was dead, that she killed him and now they were standing in his ex's kitchen like nothing changed. 

Rio moved past her, making his way to the nearest bedroom and she blinked, rapidly, embarrassed by the way Rhea was openly staring at her. "What was that?".

"Look at the time" Beth said, uncomfortable with the situation that _she_ put herself in. "I just wanted to drop off the stuff, I'll talk to you tomorrow?".

"Beth, what is going on?".

_________________________________

"Ey, pop".

Rio stood in the doorway and within seconds Marcus tossed his action figure to the ground and rushed forward for a hug. Four months they were separated and while he often had to step away when it became dangerous, he would always come back.

Reaching into his bag, Rio pulled out the gray model airplane he had Turner pick up. His early days in captivity mostly consisted of reruns and takeout food, he got tired of pizza and kung pao chicken. Then he devised a plan to not only breakout, but eliminate everyone who he considered a potential threat, Turner included. One could call it premeditated, he preferred to say it was him getting out from under the FBI's thumb, he was nobody's puppet. 

While he was putting the final pieces on the plane's wing, Demon was setting everything up for the ambush. He handed over the address, fully aware that Turner was being led to the slaughter, maybe he should've thought twice before trusting Rio.

He didn't become the boss and get to where he was without getting his hands dirty. That was all he wanted for Beth, a chance for her to live up to her potential and she squandered it. Rio intended to stop by the shop Turner referenced in a drunken rant, or maybe her house and see if Dean was up to the challenge of another bullet, but Beth made it easy on him.

"Where were you, daddy?". Marcus turned the plane around in his hands, touching all the intricate details that were a pain in the ass to keep attached. 

"Had some work, but I ain't goin anywhere, alright?".

Turner was dead and Rio was in the clear, he made sure of that by prolonging his checkout. He didn't care about his gold status or that he perpetrated a murder, he just needed an alibi. 

____________________________

"Is something going on with you two?".

Beth was saved by the bell, more like Marcus running in with the gray model. "Mommy, look what daddy brought".

"Ah, that's cool. Why don't you grab your bag, okay?".

Rio's eyes dropped to the counter, a small smile tugged on his lips when he saw the tanker plane Marcus drew her. 

"It was nice seeing you again". Beth folded the drawing so it would fit into her purse and made her way to the door, well, all but stumbled to the door, she begged her legs not to fail her now.

"I'll see you around though, yeah?".

She turned around, hand on the doorknob, just in time to see his brow pop. Beth knew this time around would be different, he didn't have a battered Dean by his side, it was her who crossed the line, mingling with his family and she had a feeling he wouldn't buy into her reasonings. 

_"Be good"._

Turner had to have been behind it, that means Rio likely knew where she worked and it wasn't like she moved. Beth swallowed, agreeing that their paths would indeed cross again.

"What the hell was that Rio?" She heard Rhea ask as she closed the door behind her. While her guilt was replaced with relief, there was an underlying feeling bubbling to the surface, excitement.

Beth didn't want to be the king, but she was more than willing to go head to head as the queen, but first she needed to get home and take care of something. 

______________________________

Beth saw him in the flesh and it wasn't another figment of her imagination. Rio was going to kill her, she was sure of it this time.

She reached into her nightstand, tossing around a few packs of Kleenex and what felt like a bra or two, before finding what she had been looking for.

Sliding her hands beneath the sheet, she let the vibrator rub against her clit, her lips parting with each whimper that passed over them.

It wasn't wrong, he was alive, that didn't make it a good idea. Rio was her problem and she couldn't handle it, now he would take matters into his own hands, just like he did with Turner.

Beth moaned, ditching the toy for her fingers, hating the way his name rolled off her tongue, "..Rio". It was breathless, a whisper and each letter felt like acid, but she couldn't help it.

There was something wrong with her, he had broke her into a thousand pieces and she needed to find a way to put herself back together, not only for the sake of her family, but her sanity as well.

"Ah" she closed her thighs around her hand. It was eleven in the morning, on a Saturday, what had gotten into her.

________________________________

Dean came home with the kids, they went to see some Star Wars movie. He believed they could splurge a little since the kids were worn out from the park, that wasn't something Beth agreed with. They were living paycheck to paycheck, but with Turner out of the way, maybe they could get their operation back on track.

"What did you do today?".

Beth drapped the throw blanket over the back of the couch. "I cleaned up around the house, met with a friend".

"I thought we decided not to use that word, Bethie".

"It's a friend, Dean, get over it".

"Mommy, can we play with Marcus tomorrow". Dean's head whipped in their direction, Jane had mentioned him several times as 'the man with the drawings on his neck' and he quickly committed those names to memory. 

"No".

Beth glared, "Yes, sweetie". While having a play date on Rio's weekend sounded damn near impossible, who was she to turn her daughter down. If she only had a few weeks left with them, she might as well make them great.

____________________________

She called Rhea in the early morning, like most parents they bonded over their bodies becoming an alarm clock the second they had children. Beth would wake up at five on the dot; Rhea was a little luckier, sleeping until six.

"Beth? What's wrong?".

"I...Jane wants a play date with Marcus, but I don't know where his dad lives". _Anymore._

Rhea cleared her throat, but after that was silence. Had Rio told her about their history the second she left? He wouldn't, right? Beth tried to stop herself from overanalyzing every look and word they said to eachother, but what else was she to think at the moment.

"What's going on between you two? And don't say nothing, that's what he told me".

"Nothing".

The silence once again hung between them and it was enough for Beth to check that the call didn't disconnect, then came a sigh.

"You got a pen?" Beth hummed, reaching for one of her craft markers. "Just...be careful, okay?".

____________________________

Ruby said she had a death wish and Annie asked how in world dong fog struck twice. She wasn't doing this for herself, it was for Jane.

Did she want to see him again? _Sure._

Should she want to see him again? _Hell, no._ Yet she did.

The address led her to a cul-de-sac, a small white house to be specific, his black BMW was parked in the driveway. 

"Are we going in, mommy?".

"One second, bubba". She needed to get her heartrate back to normal. Part of her was using his own methods against him, bringing Jane with her to the house, as he had brought Marcus to the park way back when.

Jane waited by the side of the car as Beth opened the trunk, pulling out a box set they picked out on the way over. They were way past olive branches and it was too late to turn over a new leaf, so toys was her go to.

Beth knocked, forgoing the doorbell altogether. _Bad guys don't ring doorbells_ , she was aware she wasn't the same good girl from before. 

Rio opened the door in a black shirt and sweatpants, a far cry from anything she was accustomed to. She saw it, the moment his face went from contentment to agitation. "Rhea..".

"I tried calling, it went to voicemail".

He looked behind him, then down to see Jane holding onto her hand. Beth gave an apprehensive smile, knowing she was pushing her luck with a man who teetered on the edge of killing her every other month.

_"You ain't nothing, I don't need you"._

Depsite the irritation written all over his face, Rio stepped aside, letting Jane run in to find Marcus. Beth lingered in the doorway, unsure if the invitation extended to her. "We got this for Marcus, it's a mustang".

____________________________

They were spread out on the ground, searching through pieces of the plane. Marcus wanted to put it together the second Rio handed it over.. 

"Can you pass me that propeller?" Beth pointed to a piece by Rio's knee. 

She wanted to leave the second they emptied the contents onto the floor, but Marcus wouldn't have it and tugged on her hand.

"Why don't you come over anymore?".

"Jane, how about you do the stickers?" Beth tried to change the subject. She knew Rio would never tell her kids about what she's done, that was something they had in common, their families were more important than power plays. 

"You're gonna see a lot of me, lil mama".

Jane giggled, plucking a flag off of the sticker page. Like mother, like daughter. She remembered Annie muttered that during one of Jane's 'mom's friend' speeches.

Beth was staring, she was aware of that, but his words hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Elizabeth, done with the wing?".

"Uh, yeah". She passed it over, his fingers intentionally brushing over hers. As Rio assembled the final product, Marcus and Jane watched in awe, clapping when the final piece snapped into place.

"Here'ya go pop, give it a try".

The kids ran off to end of the hallway, taking turns holding it in the air to make it fly. Silence hovered over them, his gaze made her feel exposed. "I didn't want to-".

"Nah, don't apologize, be a boss bitch and own up to that shit".

Beth nodded, "okay". She dropped her voice "you left me no choice, you kidnapped me from my house and wanted me to kill someone. I saw the news -".

"And you still came, why?".

Why? That was the million dollar question. _Because you're the only one I can relate too, you make me fearless, to thank you for handling Turner._

"For Jane" is what she decided on, he knew it was a lie.

As Marcus and Jane's voices got closer, Rio's tongue ran over his bottom lip and so went her attention. "Swing by tomorrow, leave em with Dean, alright?".

"Are you going to kill me?".

"I didn't wait four months to kill ya, ma". That wasn't reassuring, but she agreed.

They were both broken, yet together they were whole. There was a long journey ahead for them, but if they could build a model airplane together, they could build an empire. 

**Author's Note:**

> I still can't get over episode 1 and how great the next 15 will be. I'm ready for some angsty brio goodness and with that ending... *screams*
> 
> As always, I'm on tumblr @ xstrawmari
> 
> Thanks for reading & I can't wait to hear your thoughts!


End file.
